De Rossi: “We showed the derby spirit for 90 minutes”

Is it better to win the derby as a player or a coach?

“It always feels great. It's probably a bit different as a coach because you know the coach always gets the blame if you lose it. It had been a long time since Roma last won a derby and we could feel the pressure and huge expectations coming into this game – the sort I remember from the good old days, when we were maybe playing for bigger targets.

“I'm really happy. I think there's even more tension during the game when you're the coach. When I was playing, I was running around getting caught up in everything going on around. As a coach, you can't move. The last few minutes were really tough. I asked the fourth official if the scoreboard was broken because it felt like time was standing still – we were stuck in the 77th minute! It all turned out well though and I'm very, very happy.”

Now we can talk openly about the incredible emotions you felt. The team went over to the Curva again to celebrate with them.

“I'd gone inside and they went off again. When you win a derby, you go over to the Curva, you leave, then you go back again. You make a bit of a show of it, which is only right on these occasions. I didn't go over to the Curva but they basically forced me physically. I had no say in the matter!

“However, I do think it's their moment and they have to enjoy it with the fans who have always got behind us – at least since I've been here. Always. Constantly.

“I got to enjoy some of the fans' love myself, which is never a small matter.”

Today everyone showed an incredible spirit and desire to go the extra yard – like, on all the second balls, which was a bit lacking against Lecce.

“It was a bit lacking against Lecce because the coach needs to do better. If you have a performance like that, it means I still need to do a lot of work on improving this team mentally.

“During the game, when I saw these things [DAZN shows images of Roma winning possession] I got angry because I wasn't able to instil in the players the same furore we saw in this derby last Monday [against Lecce], which was a very important match.

“We have to play like this all the time, although obviously you find an extra inch or two, an extra slide tackle perhaps, in the derby. At half time I told them that in the next 45 minutes we had to go out there and seize the derby. You can never let that attitude drop. We played really well in the first half but we had the right attitude for 90 minutes. They were all fantastic and showed the derby spirit. But the way I see football, our spirit shouldn't be much different against Lecce.”

You threw Tammy Abraham straight back in as soon as he was available.

“I needed two horses up front running at full pelt and dropping back into midfield. Anyone who comes on in the derby is always fired up. Tammy made his comeback in a derby after nine tough months on the sidelines. On the very first day he said to me, 'I can't wait', then he said the same thing again on the second day. I knew he was desperate to start playing again so I thought, 'Let's throw him in and let him off the leash.' He immediately starting running around nipping at everyone's heels. It was fantastic.

“Obviously he's only been training with us for two weeks so it will take time before we see the real Tammy.”

Maybe now is the time for you to take some of the credit. You've instilled calm, ideas and different qualities. What do you give yourself credit for?

“You know what I'm like. I hate people who fake humility and always praise others, because they're the ones who think they're better than everyone else.

“This opportunity landed on my lap. When I took it up, some people told me I was brave. But working for Roma is a huge opportunity, leaving aside all the emotional baggage I have, the love I feel for this club, this family. I'm training great players and sometimes they're able to cover up a few mistakes I might make due to my lack of experience.

“I do deserve some credit because we take our job as coaches very seriously and we do a lot of things well. I've tried to improve what I thought could be improved. And we still have more to improve.

“When you arrive, you draw up a checklist and you say: ok, they've got grit and they can defend well. I decided to focus on something I thought they could potentially do a bit better. And not because they were doing it badly, but because every coach wants different things.

“Over these 11 matches we've had some good results. Unfortunately there have been some not-so-good games too, like the last one, so we have more work to do. The checklist never ends. You draw one up every week and you see what's missing.”

Do you think you've reached the stage now where you're judged only for your work on the pitch?

“Yes, I think so. I coached in Serie B, albeit not for long, and every interview started with 'World Cup winner'. People only saw the former footballer and perhaps the results I obtained didn't give them much reason to talk about anything else.

“Here I've joined a great team who are making me famous – I tell them that sometimes – and I'm not tiring. I don't want to stop now. There's still so much work to do.

“I saw the criticism after the Lecce match so I know we've done nothing. The next time we slip up, there will be repercussions and I won't be spared any criticism. But in a way, I'm happy about that. I don't want to be mollycoddled because I spent my career here. I want to be treated like a real coach.”

From future captain to future coach...

“I think we can say 'present coach' now because I've never felt any more present than this, especially after tonight. I was out of the Roma loop. I came to the stadium as a fan every now and then but I wasn't involved in anything. I didn't give interviews. I didn't go to events. I was out of it, but I kept supporting the players I knew and I came to the stadium with my friends to support the team. Masked on one occasion.

“Coming back was a bit strange but every Sunday is a massive rush of adrenaline and emotions, again and again. One of the things I wondered about was how I'd feel for the derby. I was pretty calm as it turned out, albeit with a climax of emotions at the end that I'll never forget.

“I'm not thinking about the future, only the present because sometimes you have to just stop, flop down on the sofa with a beer and some crisps, and enjoy it.”

So will you do that tonight, before the match against Milan?

“Yes. My staff don't let me watch the teams we're playing next. We have this pact and up until now it's worked. But I'm familiar with Milan. We've seen them hundreds of times. We'll start preparing tonight by analysing this game. But in a more relaxed, light-hearted way.”